Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya Part IV — Page 10
10 BARĀHIN-E-AHMADIYYA PART FOUR that most of the affluent among them view religion as something that is deserving of sympathy from the poor alone-they themselves being exempt from any such responsibility to the extent that even extending a hand to carry this burden is prohibited for them. My humble self had ample experience of this during the publication of this book. I widely publicized that the appropriate price of the book, owing to an increase in its volume, should now be 100 rupees and those who can afford it should pay accordingly-since it is being given to the less privileged for a meagre 10 rupees-as compensation for the loss is essential. It is unfortunate that, with the exception of seven or eight people, all the rest listed themselves among the poor. What a poor example of making up the loss! Whenever I investigated as to who had sent a money order of five or ten rupees as payment for the book, I found that they were sent mostly by some nawwāb [a princely chief] or rais-e-azam [a great chieftain]. Among the exceptions, Nawwāb Iqbalud-Dawlah of Hyderabad, as well as another ra'is [chief] of Bulandshahr District-who had requested that his name should not be disclosed-have each sent 100 rupees for a copy of the book. An official, Muhammad Afzal Khan, has sent 110 rupees, while Nawwāb [Muhammad Ali Khana] of Kotla Malīr has sent 100 rupees for three copies. A Hindu nobleman, Sardar Atar Singh, Ra'īs-e-Azam of Ludhiana, out of his magnanimity and generosity, has sent twenty-five rupees as a donation. The Sardar, despite being a Hindu, has shown sympathy for Islam. Miserly and close-fisted Muslims-who enjoy grand titles and appellations and sit on enormous wealth like Qārūn [Korah]¹-should compare their own attitude with that of the Sardar. Given the fact that there are some among the Aryas who sympa- thize even for other religions, whereas there are very few among the 1. Qārūn [Korah] was one of the people of Hadrat Mūsā [Moses], but he later became a chieftain of Pharaoh. His enormous wealth and pride is mentioned in Surah al-Qaşaş, 28:77 of the Holy Quran. [Publisher]